Colonic irrigator



May 9, E939. H. LAZARUS COLONIC IRRIGATOR Filed July 25, 1938 'fic/741 705 ,mwa/@mv www Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED ySTATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE COLONIC IRRIGATOR Harry Lazarus, New York, N. Y.

Application July 2.5, 1938, Serial No. 221,176

` `:a claims. (ol. 12s-227) satisfactory results since the colon wall com-` prises a numberr of pockets in which fecal matter and gases readily accumulate to the acute discomfort of the patient. Such deposits can only be dislodged by repeated flushing accompanied by turbulence of the injected fluid. Another feature that has been the cause ofiimproperirri-j gation is the configuration of the large intestine. Due to the sharp curvatures of the sigmoid portion, short nozzles or rectal tubes give flushing of the lower part of the descending colon only. In order that the benefits of an enema will reach all parts of the bowel it is necessary that a long nozzle, preferably of rubber or similar resilient material, be used.

Repeated insertions of such longnozzles results in irritation of the rectum and it has been pro'- posed to use a device permitting the nozzle to remain in the patients body throughout the period of treatment and obtain the desired injection of uid' and drainage by operation of suitable valves. Devices for accomplishing this result are now known but they generally involve complex and expensive equipment which cannot be satisfactorily operated by any but a trained expert.

I have devised^a simple, yet unusually eiective control mechanism for the administration of colonic irrigation which may be operated at its best efficiency byany normally intelligent person. The device permits close control and complete knowledge of the effectiveness of the treatment in an apparatus of relatively small size.`

The present invention contemplates the provision of a colonic irrlgator which will permit successive irrigations of the bowel tract without removal of the rectal tube or nozzle. A further feature of my device is the provision of means vhereby the nature of the eIliuent matter resulting f. .rom the`treatment may be accurately determined. The device also provides means for causing' substantial turbulence of the irrigating fluid within the colon. To enable the operator to inject a soothing material such as an oil as the 55 nal stage of the treatment the device includes v point intermediate nipple I4 and valve I'l.

a liquid reservoir from which such soothing material may be injected into the colon.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the attached drawing illustrative of one embodiment of the invention wherein: Y

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of my device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional vi'ew on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the three-way plug valve employed tocontrol the admission of air to the colon of the patient under treatment.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the device comprises a hollow body portion Ill formed with a relatively large chamber II having ports communicating by means of channels through the body with inlet nipple I2., outlet nipple I3 and a nipple Ifl for attachment of a rectal tube of conventional design. The :dow of liquid through the channels is controlled by suitable valves, such as plug valves I5, I6 and Il. An additional channel is also formed in the body to communicate with the rectal tube channel by means of port I8 at a As shown in the drawing this channel is formed to communicate with the outer. atmosphere at port I9 and is extended through the center of an air tube nipple 20. These three openings are controlled by three-way valve 2| whereby any two of the three openings may be operatively connected to provide for flow of air therebetween. An air tube 22 of rubber or other suitable material is tted at one end to nipple`20 and a suitable bulb 23 for causing flow of air through said tube is attached to the other end thereof.

'I'he body portion I0 may be formed'of any suit'- able material such as metal, glass or resinous substances which will be unaffected by the uids within chamber I I and will not result in contamination of such fluids and vis readily constructed by casting or similar methods.I The valves are preferably formed of the same material and\\in the same manner as the body portion. For light weight construction I prefer to make the device of-an aluminum alloy by casting in a mold after the manner of present casting technique.

An important feature of this invention is the provision of means whereby an oil or a medicant may be introduced into the chamber II without disconnecting any of the tubes which are attached to the nipples I2, 'I3 and I4 in normal operation; This means is preferably so constructed .that the nature of liquid flowing through chamber I I may be accurately observed by the operator and comprises a cover 2t removably secured to a iiange 25 on the body portion lil. lin the preferred embodiment of the invention the cover is a concave lens in order that the material passing through the chamber will be seen by the operator as magnified to allow very accurate determination of its nature.

It will be seen that operation of the present deviceis very simple as compared with that of prior'apparatus adapted to the same purpose. A reservoir of suitable irrigation fluid is attached by a tube to nipple l2, while a second tube leading into a waste receptacle is attached to nipple I3. A rectal tube, preferably of rubber and having openings along the side near the tip thereof is attached to nipple I4. Valve 2| is rotated to a position that will prevent flow of liquid through port I8 and valves I6 and I1 are closed. The tip of the rectal tube is then inserted in the rectum of the patient to a sufiicient distance that the openings therein will be at least at the sigmoid region. When the tube is in place `valve il is opened until a suitable amount of irrigating fluid has been injected into the colon of the patient, whereupon valve is closed. It is apparent that the pressure of the irrigating fluid supplied to the rectal tube maybe controlled by manipulation It will be noted that when valve 2| is in a position to inhibit flow through port I8, the opening in nipple 20 communicates with the atmosphere, whereby the bulb 23 is filled with air at atmospheric pressure. While the colon of the patient is filled with irrigating fluid, valve 2| is rotated until port I9 is closed and there is a clear channel from nipple 20 to port I8. The bulb isthen pressed, forcing air through port I8, nipple I4 and the rectal tube into the colon of the patient. This operation results in ebullition of air through the liquid in the colon and causes considerable turbulence thereof. The effect of forcing air through the rectal tube is threefold, first, the turbulence created in the fluid within thevl colon results in very efficient washingrof the colon walls and tends to dislodge fecal matter that has accumulated thereon and in the pockets thereof; second, the turbulence dislodges gases that may have accumulated in the said pockets; and third, the air tends to displace solid particles that may have become lodged in the openings of the rectal tube, thereby impairing its efficiency.

The forcing of air throughv the rectal tube is repeated as many times as are found desirable by rotating valve 2| to permit filling of bulb 2li, again rotating the valve to close port i9 and pressing the bulb.

Valve l5 is then closed and valves i6 and il are opened to permit flow of fluid from the colon to a waste receptacle or sewer through nipple i3. After the irrigating fluid is removed valve i6 is close'd, valve |5 is opened and the operation repeated. This cycle may be repeated as many times as are necessary to completely cleanse the colon and the degree of cleanliness achieved is attach;

determined by the nature of the uid passing through chamber il as viewed through sight glass 2d.

When it is found that the effluent liquid is clear, the valve ill is closed andl the chamber il is drained by opening valve ifi and removing cover 2d. According to the preferred method of treatment, valve il@ is then closed and the chamber il is filled with a mild oil, preferably a vegetable oil such as olive oil, sesame oil or coconut oil, to which a few drops of eucalyptus oil may be added. I have found that olive oil gives best results, but material benefits may be obtained through the use of any bland oil which will have a soothing and lubricating effect on the colon wall.

With the chamber ll full of oil, valves l5 and il are opened and the pressure of fluid from the reservoir will force the oil through nipple it and the rectal tube into the colon of the patient. It will be'noted that the opening from chamber II which communicates with nipple 4 is relatively high in the Wall of said chamber and the oil, being lighter than the Water generally employed as the irrigating fluid, will beforced out of the chamber first. While the colon contains oil it is well to massage the abdomen vigorously to insure penetration of oil to all the folds and pockets of the colon. f

For efficient operation, the -position of the openings from chamber |I to the channels communicating with nipples |2, I3 and I4 should be carefully placed. The inlet opening communieating with inlet nipple I2 'should be spaced `slightly above the bottom of the chamber and the opening for nipple |4 should be placed at a point near the top of the chamber in order that oil will be expelled through the rectal tube when water isadmitted to the oil filled chamber. The outlet opening, communicating with outlet nipple I3 is preferably so placed that it opens onto the floor of the chamber in order that proper drainage may be obtained.

Althoughv the irrigating fluid used forms no part of the present invention, it-is believed that plain water is` most suitable but solutions maybe employed if desired. Thus the fluid used in this device may be a Water solution of sodium bicarbonate, common table salt or sodium permanganate made up in the usual manner.

It has been found'by actual tests that colonic irrigation conducted in the manner set forth herein results in an intense feeling of health and Well being. Prior to this invention such treatments have been diicult to conduct and selftreatment by the ordinary individual having no training in connection with the apparatus heretofore provided for that purpose has been practically impossible. The present device is easily operatedby any normal person and it is only necessary that he be provided with relatively simple instructions as to the procedure to be followed.

Even those persons who have been trained to conduct treatments of the present type find that use of the apparatus provided by this invention simplifies their work and renders control of the treatment remarkably accurate.

I claim:

l. A device for use in colonic irrigation comprising an enclosed chamber defined by upper,

lower and side walls, valve controlled means to permit ow of irrigating fluid to said chamber, valve controlled means to permit the flow of waste from said chamber, means comprising a `channel through a side wall of said chamber to Cre operatively connect the same with a rectal tube at a point remote from said chamber, said channel opening into said chamber at a point substantially above the opening into said chamber of said means to permit flow of irrigating fluid to said chamber, a Valve in said channel to control the flow of uid therethrough, and means to supply air under pressure to said channel at a point intermediate the said valve and the said point remote from said chamber.

2. A device for use in colonic irrigation comprising upper, lower and side Walls defining an enclosed chamber, three channels in side Walls of said chamber, a valve in each of said channels to control flow of fluid therethrough, means at the end of each of said channels remote from said chamber for connecting a rubber tube in operative relation thereto and means for admitting air under pressure to one of said channels intermediate the said valve therein and the said means at the end thereof remote from said chamber.

3. A device for use in colonic irrigation comprising upper, lowier and side walls dening an enclosed chamber, three channels in side walls of said chamber, a valve in each of said channels to control ow of uid therethrough, means at the end of each of said channels remote from said chamber for connecting a rubber tube in operative relation thereto and means for admitting air under pressure to one of said channels intermediate the said valve therein and the said means at the end thereof remote from said chamber, said means for admitting air consist ing of an air passage communicating with and at substantially right angles to said channel, a collapsible bulb operatively connected to the end of said passage remote from said channel, a port in the wall of said passage communicating withl the atmosphere and a valve in said passage adapted to be rotated to selectively connect the said channel, thewsaid port and the said bulb. 20

HARRY LAZARUS. 

